1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for use in the mooring or docking of nautical vessels, and more particularly to a boat mooring device which extends between a boat and the shore to which it is to be moored and which has sufficient flexibility to allow the boat to float up and down with the water line, as well as to rock side-to-side, without damaging the boat or the mooring device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The problems involved in securing small boats to shores and the like are well known in the art of mooring devices. One of the concerns is securing the boat to a shoreline while allowing for changes in the water level and turbulence which cause rocking of the boat with respect to the shoreline. Even though a boat is prevented from contacting the shoreline, if it is improperly secured to the shoreline, the boat may be damaged or lost, and if the mooring device for use with the boat is of insufficient width or length to provide for proper securing of the boat to the shoreline, the likelihood of damage and/or loss is considerably increased. The ease with which a boat can be removed from the mooring device and/or with which the mooring device can be removed from the shoreline is also important. While existing art has attempted to deal with these concerns by building mooring structures, none of the prior art of which applicants are aware has taught a boat mooring device having the unique features and capabilities of the present invention which allow it to be utilized with boats of different sizes and in a variety of situations, and which further allow the mooring device to be left at the shore of a lake or river while the boat is utilized so that the mooring device is still in position when the boat returns to the mooring area.